diff --git a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputCut.test.ts b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputCut.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cf8d02deab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputCut.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+import { cutSelection } from '../components/textInput.js'
+
+describe('cutSelection (transactional cut)', () => {
+  it('removes the selection only after the clipboard write succeeds', async () => {
+    const write = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(true)
+    const removeSelection = vi.fn()
+
+    const ok = await cutSelection('hello', write, removeSelection)
+
+    expect(ok).toBe(true)
+    expect(write).toHaveBeenCalledWith('hello')
+    expect(removeSelection).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the text intact when the clipboard write fails (headless/SSH)', async () => {
+    const write = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(false)
+    const removeSelection = vi.fn()
+
+    const ok = await cutSelection('hello', write, removeSelection)
+
+    expect(ok).toBe(false)
+    expect(write).toHaveBeenCalledWith('hello')
+    // Text must NOT be removed. A failed write would otherwise destroy it with no
+    // clipboard copy to paste back.
+    expect(removeSelection).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
+  it('awaits the write before removing (no fire-and-forget removal)', async () => {
+    let resolveWrite: (value: boolean) => void = () => {}
+
+    const write = vi.fn(
+      () =>
+        new Promise<boolean>(resolve => {
+          resolveWrite = resolve
+        })
+    )
+
+    const removeSelection = vi.fn()
+
+    const pending = cutSelection('hello', write, removeSelection)
+
+    // While the write is still pending the selection must remain untouched.
+    await Promise.resolve()
+    expect(removeSelection).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+    resolveWrite(true)
+    await pending
+
+    expect(removeSelection).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputWordDelete.test.ts b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputWordDelete.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8de5ecae52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputWordDelete.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+
+import { InputEvent } from '../../packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/events/input-event.js'
+import { INITIAL_STATE, parseMultipleKeypresses } from '../../packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/parse-keypress.js'
+import { deleteWordForward } from '../components/textInput.js'
+
+function parseOne(sequence: string) {
+  const [keys] = parseMultipleKeypresses(INITIAL_STATE, sequence)
+  expect(keys).toHaveLength(1)
+
+  return keys[0]!
+}
+
+// The web dashboard maps Ctrl+Delete to ESC d (see
+// web/src/lib/pty-keyboard-shortcuts.ts). hermes-ink decodes that bare
+// meta-letter form via META_KEY_CODE_RE. If this contract ever changes the
+// `wordMod && inp === 'd'` binding in textInput.tsx stops firing and
+// Ctrl+Delete regresses to typing a literal "d".
+describe('Ctrl+Delete → ESC d decode contract', () => {
+  it('decodes ESC d as meta+"d" so the composer binding is reached', () => {
+    const event = new InputEvent(parseOne('\x1bd'))
+
+    expect(event.key.meta).toBe(true)
+    expect(event.key.ctrl).toBe(false)
+    expect(event.input).toBe('d')
+  })
+})
+
+describe('deleteWordForward', () => {
+  it('deletes the word to the right of the cursor', () => {
+    // cursor before "hello" → removes "hello" and the trailing space.
+    expect(deleteWordForward('foo hello world', 4)).toEqual({ cursor: 4, value: 'foo world' })
+  })
+
+  it('deletes from mid-word to the next word boundary', () => {
+    // cursor inside "hello" (after "he") → removes "llo" + trailing space.
+    expect(deleteWordForward('foo hello world', 6)).toEqual({ cursor: 6, value: 'foo heworld' })
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the cursor fixed while removing text', () => {
+    const result = deleteWordForward('alpha beta', 0)
+
+    expect(result.cursor).toBe(0)
+    expect(result.value).toBe('beta')
+  })
+
+  it('is a no-op when the cursor is already at the end', () => {
+    expect(deleteWordForward('foo bar', 7)).toEqual({ cursor: 7, value: 'foo bar' })
+  })
+
+  it('handles an empty string', () => {
+    expect(deleteWordForward('', 0)).toEqual({ cursor: 0, value: '' })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx
index 5727428c3a..a13fdd77db 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx
@@ -184,6 +184,27 @@ export function valueForReturnSubmit(
   return applyPrintableInsert(value, cursor, beforeReturn, range) ?? { cursor, value }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Transactional cut. Writes `text` to the clipboard and only invokes
+ * `removeSelection` once the write actually succeeds. On failure (e.g. a
+ * headless/SSH box with no clipboard backend) the selection is left untouched
+ * so the text is never destroyed without a copy to paste back. Returns whether
+ * the clipboard write succeeded.
+ */
+export async function cutSelection(
+  text: string,
+  write: (text: string) => Promise<boolean>,
+  removeSelection: () => void
+): Promise<boolean> {
+  const ok = await write(text)
+
+  if (ok) {
+    removeSelection()
+  }
+
+  return ok
+}
+
 export function shouldPreserveCtrlJNewline(env: MinimalEnv = process.env): boolean {
   if (env.WT_SESSION) {
     return true
@@ -263,6 +284,16 @@ function wordRight(s: string, p: number) {
   return i
 }
 
+/**
+ * Delete the word to the RIGHT of the cursor (readline meta+d / kill-word).
+ * The cursor stays put; the text from the cursor to the next word boundary is
+ * removed. Callers guard against `cursor >= value.length` themselves; when the
+ * cursor is already at the end this is a no-op.
+ */
+export function deleteWordForward(value: string, cursor: number): TextInsertResult {
+  return { cursor, value: value.slice(0, cursor) + value.slice(wordRight(value, cursor)) }
+}
+
 /**
  * Move cursor one logical line up or down inside `s` while preserving the
  * column offset from the current line's start. Returns `null` when the cursor
@@ -824,8 +855,24 @@ export function TextInput({
           return
         }
 
-        void writeClipboardText(vRef.current.slice(range.start, range.end))
-        commit(vRef.current.slice(0, range.start) + vRef.current.slice(range.end), range.start)
+        // Transactional cut: only remove the selection once the clipboard
+        // write actually succeeds. A fire-and-forget write on a headless/SSH
+        // box (no clipboard backend) would otherwise destroy the text with no
+        // copy to paste back. On failure the selection is left intact.
+        const text = vRef.current.slice(range.start, range.end)
+
+        void cutSelection(text, writeClipboardText, () => {
+          // Re-read the selection: the awaited clipboard write opens a window
+          // in which the user could have moved/changed the selection. Only
+          // remove when it still matches what we copied.
+          const current = selRange()
+
+          if (!current || current.start !== range.start || current.end !== range.end) {
+            return
+          }
+
+          commit(vRef.current.slice(0, current.start) + vRef.current.slice(current.end), current.start)
+        })
       },
       end: selected?.end ?? curRef.current,
       start: selected?.start ?? curRef.current,
@@ -1321,6 +1368,21 @@ export function TextInput({
       } else if (wordMod && inp === 'f') {
         clearSel()
         c = wordRight(v, c)
+      } else if (wordMod && inp === 'd') {
+        // meta+d (readline kill-word). The web dashboard maps Ctrl+Delete to
+        // ESC d, which hermes-ink decodes as meta+'d'; without this branch it
+        // fell through to the printable path and typed a literal "d".
+        if (range) {
+          v = v.slice(0, range.start) + v.slice(range.end)
+          c = range.start
+        } else if (c < v.length) {
+          clearSel()
+          const next = deleteWordForward(v, c)
+          v = next.value
+          c = next.cursor
+        } else {
+          return
+        }
       } else if (range && (k.backspace || delFwd)) {
         v = v.slice(0, range.start) + v.slice(range.end)
         c = range.start
@@ -1357,8 +1419,7 @@ export function TextInput({
           // Cmd+ForwardDelete — kill to end of line, matching Ctrl+K.
           ;({ cursor: c, value: v } = killToLineEnd(v, c))
         } else if (wordMod) {
-          const t = wordRight(v, c)
-          v = v.slice(0, c) + v.slice(t)
+          v = deleteWordForward(v, c).value
         } else {
           v = v.slice(0, c) + v.slice(nextPos(v, c))
         }